This invention relates to devices for holding an individual container in an upright position while the container is being transported from one location to another, and more particularly to a novel puck for a sample tube.
Samples of biological materials such as blood, urine or other body fluid that are subject to clinical testing on a massive scale are usually processed in one or more automated apparatus. Various known clinical apparatus can automatically perform such functions as dividing a relatively large sample of body fluid into smaller sized test quantities, mixing a divided sample with an appropriate diluent, and performing a selected test or a series of selected tests on the test sample.
In some instances it has been found convenient to automatically deliver a sample tube from one location to another for diverse processing and/or test purposes. A commonly used transport device for sample tubes is a conveyor.
The sample tube, which usually contains a bar code or other indicia capable of automatic identification, is typically disposed in a carrying device such as a puck that is placed on a conveyor. The puck, which includes a receptacle for the sample tube, is intended to stabilize the tube in an upright position during its journey on the conveyor belt to one or more predetermined destinations corresponding to one or more test apparatus. When the puck is at a test apparatus station the sample tube is usually removed from the puck by an automatic handling device such as a robot, which delivers the sample tube to the test apparatus for testing. The empty puck, which normally remains on the conveyor, is automatically reloaded, by a robot, for example, with another sample tube that has completed the test cycle in the test apparatus.
Since it may be necessary to accomplish rapid removal and insertion of a sample tube in and out of the puck on a frequent basis it is desirable that the puck hold the sample tube with an optimum retaining force that permits easy removal and insertion of the sample tube in and out of the puck.